What We’re Learning

Head Start grants will boost training, teacher recruitment

An infusion of grants is coming at just the right time for four Head Start agencies in Detroit that this month must begin re-competing for federal cash they’re in danger of losing.

The Head Start Innovation Fund — operated by the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan — on Tuesday announced the grants totaling $1.1 million. In addition to helping provide professional development for the agencies that are in jeopardy, the money will also help improve teacher recruitment and retention for programs in Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne counties.

The grants come as Head Start providers in the region have become more collaborative, thanks in part to efforts by the fund to improve the quality of the early childhood programs, Katie Brisson, the vice president of the Community Foundation, wrote in a blog post about the grants.